1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of consumer electronics and more particularly to systems that engage with computing devices such as laptop computers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various portable computing devices, such as laptop computers, tablets, smart phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and the like are sometimes attached to peripheral devices to provide some or all of a connection to power, a connection to further peripheral devices such as speakers, improved cooling, a means to secure the portable computing system, a means to elevate the computing system to a more ergonomic height, and a means to maintain the computing system in a particular orientation for better viewability. Such peripheral devices are commonly known in the art as “docking stations,” “docking ports,” or just “docks.”
One example of such a dock is provided by Vroom et al., U.S. Pre-Grant Publication 2011/0065314. The dock described therein attaches along one side of a laptop computer, and can be used, for example to cradle the laptop computer in a vertical orientation, with the screen closed, minimizing the footprint of the laptop when using an external monitor rather than the laptop's own screen.
Another such example of a dock is the model BE-MBA13 from Bookendz of Elgin, Ill., illustrated by FIG. 1A. The Bookendz dock 100 includes a flat metal plate 110 with two feet 120 disposed along a front edge thereof. The plate 110 is meant to support a laptop computer at an angle, elevated toward the rear, for better typing ergonomics, and the feet 120 both prevent the laptop computer from sliding off of the plate 110 and also prevent the entire dock 100 from sliding. The plate 110 is made of metal to conduct heat away from the laptop computer which rests in contact with the plate 110. To engage the laptop computer, one first sets the laptop on the plate 110 and slides it down towards the feet 120 until the feet of the laptop computer rest within the recesses 130 in each foot 120.
The plate 110 also includes two end pieces 140 slidably connected to the top surface of the plate 110, as better illustrated by FIG. 1B, discussed below. Also attached to the plate 110 are separate housings 145, each fixedly attached to a bottom surface of the plate 110, one below each of the slidable end pieces 140. Each end piece 140 includes male electrical connectors 150 meant to mate to female electrical connectors of the laptop computer. Each housing 145 includes wiring and/or electrical components connected to the electrical connectors 150. The top surface of the plate 110 between the two end pieces 140 is flat and free of obstructions so that the screen of the laptop can be freely raised.
FIG. 1B shows an underside view of the Bookendz dock 100 with the housings 145 omitted for clarity. Each end piece 140 includes three pins 160 that are constrained to slide within parallel slots 170 in the metal plate 110. The Bookendz dock 100 also includes a mechanism 175 for releasing the laptop computer from the dock 100. The mechanism 175 comprises a lever arm 180 configured to pivot around a pin 160 fixed to the plate 110, and two links 185 each slidably connected to a circular portion of the arm 180 centered on the pin 160. One link 185 is also attached to the center pin 160 in each set of three pins 160 such that translation of the arm 180 around the pin 160 attached to the plate 110 can push each end piece 140 away from the laptop computer.
Each link 185 is slidably connected to the circular portion of the arm 180 by pins 160 constrained to move within arc-shaped grooves 190 in the circular portion of the arm 180. It will be appreciated that the effect provided by the pin-in-groove arrangement is that when the end pieces 140 are pushed inwards towards the laptop computer to engage the connectors 150 the arm 180 does not move. It can thus be seen that the arrangement also allows either end piece 140 to slide in and out within its complete range when the other end piece 140 is at the inside end of its range, in other words, the end pieces 140 are not always constrained to move together. The pin-in-groove arrangement advantageously prevents a user from employing the arm 180 to engage the connectors 150 to the laptop computer, avoiding the possibility that the user will use the lever arm 180 to force and potentially damage misaligned connectors. Rather, the user must push each end piece 140 inward by hand, making certain first of alignment. Thus, the end pieces 140, when both fully engaged, are held in place by the mechanism 175 only by the frictional fit of the male and female connectors.
Returning to FIG. 1A, the dock 100 includes, within the housing 145, a female power connector (not shown) configured to receive the male connector of a standard AC adapter. The AC adapter must be connected to the dock 100 to power the USB ports on the dock 100. The dock 100 is separately configured to provide adequate space for the power adapter connector for the laptop computer. In FIG. 1A it can be seen that one end piece 140 includes a recessed region 160 where the power adapter connector for the laptop computer would be situated when connected to the laptop computer.